good monday morning. on "first look," is wednesday d-day for north korea? and will china finally step in to call threats of missile launches. kansas governor sam brownback can about to implement the nation's tough test anti-abortion laws in america. spring weather is hitting parts of the u.s. with a furfur. plus, the president returns to connecticut on gun control today. condi rice dons the green jacket at augusta ahead of the masters. masters, and have you ever wanted to attach enough balloons to good morning, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. right now tensions are rising as south korea reports signs that

north korea is preparing to carry out a new nuclear test. meanwhile, the u.s. chairman of the joint chiefs says the pentagon has bolstered u.s. missile defenses because "he can't take the fact that pyongyang won't soon engage in some military action." nbc's jim maceda is in seoul, south korea. good morning, jim. give us the latest there. >> reporter: hi. well, the latest, betty, is that here the defense ministry has backed off, as you suggested, from that earlier statement. that was coming from another official from another ministry who had said that north korea was preparing for its fourth nuclear test. now, the ministry is denying that, saying there is, in fact, no indication that north korea is preparing such a test at its test site up in the north. obviously trying to tamp down tension here already high as south korea and the whole region, really, is waiting to see if and when the north korean leader, kim jong-un, test-fires another ballistic missile expected in the days ahead,

perhaps as early as wednesday. but south korea has admitted that the north can test both its missiles and its nuclear capabilities whenever it chooses basically saying, betty, that despite tougher u.n. sanctions now and surprisingly strong criticism yesterday coming from china, its main ally in the region, kim seems intent on pursuing his goal of making north korea a nation to be reckoned with and actually weaponizing a nuclear device no matter what the price. betty, back to you? >> this could be an important week. we'll see how it plays how, jim, thank you. congress gets back to work after a two-week and joe manchin and pat toomey are finalizing legislation to expand background checks on all gun sales. president obama is taking his message to connecticut where the toughest gun restrictions were just signed into law and chuck schumer says he believes lawmakers will find compromise on at least one key issue.

>> we go to the floor i'm still hopeful of the sweet spot, background checks, can succeed. >> debate on the measure by the full senate could begin as early as tomorrow. secretary of state john kerry is in israel this morning. he just finished meeting with palestinian president mahmoud abbas in an effort to revive peace talks that stalled in 2002. he says he won't do that until construction stops in the east bank. meanwhile, tensions in the region has risen following rocket attacks from the hamas ruled gaza strip. kerry is scheduled to meet with the israeli president and palestinian prime minister today. in afghanistan a surge in springtime violence led to the death of seven americans over the weekend. officials say a fierce battle between u.s.-backed afghan forces and taliban militants has left nearly 20 people dead

including 11 afghan children killed in an air strike and an american civilian adviser. the u.s.-led coalition says it is assessing the incident but cannot confirm that civilians were killed, this on the same d'etat six more americans died in violent attacks including 25-year-old diplomat anne smedinghoff who was on a trip to donate books to afghan students. authorities are denver are on the lookout for an escaped inma inmate they say is armed and extremely dangerous. he was being held for aggravated assault and as a corrections violation also. authorities say the man walked out of the denver county jail last night possibly wearing a deputy's uniform. he also may have a gun and a police radio. well, kansas is on its way to passing some of the country's harshest abortion laws yet. governor sam brownback is expected to sign a bill passed friday night that would declare that life starts at fertilization.

now, under the new measure, abortion providers are banned from getting tax breaks or taking part in school sex education courses. the legislation would ban abortion also based on a fetus' gender. the dish of scrambled politics. dan malloy had tough words for nra ceo wayne lapierre. >> wayne reminds me of the clowns at the circus. they get the most attention and that's what he's paid to do. >> brad pitt was in the nation's capital and everyone found out about it because of congressman eric cantor. the house majority leader tweeted this photo of himself with the hollywood a-lister during an awards gala at constitution hall. beyonce and jay-z's recent getaway to cuba could be under federal investigation. u.s. law prohibits americans traveling to the island unless

authorized by a specific license. well, two congressional republicans want to know the exact license given to the power couple or could be in violation of a statute which is punishable by ten years in prison or a $250,000 fine. vice president joe biden will not be joining president obama in taking a voluntary pay cut to show solidarity for furloughed workers, that is. his office says the vp will give back part of his $230,000 annual salary if and when his own staff is affected by the sequester. scott brown raised some eyebrows last week when he publicly flirted with the idea of running for the senate from new hampshire. well, now a new tumblr page shows he photo shopped in various states poking fun he might run anywhere. president clinton may be

appear on tv and buzz is still swirling about whether hillary clinton will run for president in 2016. former clinton strategist james carville made it interesting by telling maureen dowd, "running for president is like sex. no one ever did it once and forgot about it." all righty then. former new york congressman anthony wiener and his wife will give their first interview since he resigned following his sexting scandal. something the publication neither confirmed or denied. that is your morning dish of scrambled politics. we want you to take a look at this. incredible video out of kansas today where a storm dropped golf ball-sized hail. some hailstones reaching upwards of 2 inches. all over the place there. nbc meteorologist bill karins joins us now and hopefully we don't see too much more of that especially those without car insurance. that could be problematic.

>> it's rough. the hail coverage. >> yeah. >> you need it in some areas of the country and maybe the next couple of days. severe weather outbreak. we haven't had many throughout the spring. very lucky. haven't had tornado fatalities in over a month. they approach st. louis, peoria, springfield and rain will be towards chicago during the morning rush hour. later today, though, as our spring storm comes out of the plains. the areas of yellow for large hail, possibly damaging winds and tornadoes near the colorado/kansas border mostly avoiding the big cities but this storm will then slowly move to the east and looks like on tuesday, a much larger area of concern. the area of yellow, severe weather risk, tuesday afternoon, tuesday evening, this includes kansas city, oklahoma city, tulsa, wichita all the way down into dallas, austin and later in the day approaching areas of st. louis and kansas city and

southern portions of iowa. tuesday looks like the biggest severe weather day and on top of all that, it's going to snow. it is going to snow hard. that's a snow -- i have to get a snowfall map calling for as much as 6 to 12 inches from wyoming down to denver? >> it's never ending. >> it's typical of denver to get snow in april but they don't like it. was extortion at the heart of the rutgers tape? they're investigating. plus teachers clash with police. nasa plans to grab an asteroid in outer space. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪

ten hut! you up for the challenge suds-maker? i'm gonna need more than that to get through the rest of these dishes! i want more suds!

dawn? you won't last. [ female announcer ] a drop of dawn has active suds that stay stronger longer, so you can clean 2x more greasy dishes. to get the job done. you're full of suds after all. now drop and give me twenty spaghetti bowls! [ female announcer ] dawn does more. [ sponge ] so it's not a chore. that make kids happy. and even fewer that make moms happy too. with wholesome noodles and bite sized chicken, nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from campbell's.

some stories making news this morning. the man who took hostages at hillary clinton's campaign office in 2007 escaped from a minimum security prison. leeland eisenberg was missing from sunday's head count. extortion. the fbi is investigating whether former rutgers university employee eric murdock tried to

extort the school before releasing the infamous mike rice coaching video. murdoch's lawyer sent a letter to rutgers back in december requesting $950,000 to settle employment issues or face a lawsuit. he left his job last year after serving as player development director for the men's basketball program. teachers in mexico are again taking to the streets in protest over pending education reform. they're marching against a proposed evaluation system and plans to loosen union control over hiring and firing. in north carolina, first responders say the rescue operation for two children lost at a construction site is now a recovery mission. the kids, ages 6 and 8, were trapped under several feet of dirt. crews now suspect that they are dead, unfortunately. the next destination for nasa seems more like a scene from "armageddon." the agency wants to bring a near earth asteroid even closer in hopes of sending astronauts to the rock and bringing back samples. obama administration officials say it can be done within a

decade before focusing on mars. now, a look at what's moving your money this week and we go to cnbc's seema motorty. >> it ended in the red on the back of the disappointing jobs report friday. now, investors will look for data on retail sales, inflation. this will make the european company and boeing's rival a jetmaker on u.s. soil for the first time. air palestine complaints jumped as carriers are making seats smaller and bumping more ticketed passengers off booked flights. that's the latest, back to you. >> all right, seema, thank you. jack lew gets down to business meeting with counterparts in brussels and paris. gas prices are falling. down another 6 cents to about $3.65 a gallon.

the latest airline quality finds when it comes to timeliness on the tarmac size does not matter. hawaiian airlines delivers more often. alaska second, air tran, 3ird, delta and us airways, five. american airlines ranked worse for being on time. "the wall street journal" reports michelin has joined the companies of hitting overweight employees for health care penalties for -- get this -- $1,000 for having high pressure or waistlines over 40 inches. high stakes courtroom battle resumes between macy's and jcpenney and another recall at ikea. lasagna made with moose meat is being recalled for containing portions of pork.

not kidding there. a sign of tough economic times in rhode island. the so-called superman building that towers over providence will no longer be lit up at night. bank of america, its 85-year tenant is moving out. louisville university is just one step closer to capturing two national titles, plus ravens' joe flacco takes on the great johnny unitas. and check this out. one of the best football scenes we've seen all year long. we have details when "first look" returns. in a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky. however, seeing this little beauty over international waters is enough to bring a traveler to tears. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

i'm your hot water heater. you hardly know i exist. that's too bad. 'cuz if my pressure relief valve gets stuck... [ booooooom! ] ...we hot water heaters can transform into rocket propelled wrecking balls. and if you got the wrong home insurance coverage, it's your bank account that might explode. so get allstate. [ dennis ] good hands. good home. make sure you have the right home protection. talk to an allstate agent. make sure you have the right home protection. by earning a degree from capella more iuniversity, you'll have the knowledge to make an impact in your company and take your career to an even greater place. let's get started at capella.edu.

for her whites. that part's true. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase.

immigration reform will be debated by senators following their two-week vacation and joining me now is david nakamura. thanks for being with us. >> hi, betty. >> the group of senators has been working on reforms. can you tell us the two biggest items on the agenda. >> this time last year when they tried to do it and it failed, the path to citizenship will be the biggest key. the senators promised they'll put a path citizenship for illegal immigrants in there but, of course, there are a lot of senators and other lawmakers who don't agree with that who think that's giving amnesty to illegal immigrants here illegally and should not be allowed to stay in the country but senators are committed. it'll take 13 years from what we understand for their legal immigrants to get there. they want to limit the number of

family visas an instead open up immigration maybe more to the employment side to help businesses who need to hire low-skilled and high-skilled workers and want to add more high and low skilled visas but take them away from family. >> time film. senator lindsey graham says the next couple of weeks, will we see that happen? will things heat up? >> absolutely. they promise as early as this week but there's concerns among some of the senators it might be moving fast and still not completely agreed on every point but i think it could drag into the next week or two before we actually see this bill. the president's watching closely and promised to have a bill as early as this month and said he'll step in if the senators can't produce it. >> thank you. >> sure. here's some other news going on around america. arizona serve and rescuer lifted a 50-year-old canadian woman to safety after she spent

30 hours on a cliff. several chicago children opposed a plan to shut down 54 -- >> chances -- >> all: chances are. >> we will succeed. >> all: we will succeed! >> the students teamed up with hundreds of parents at a public hearing for one of elementary schools on the chopping block. a north carolina dog is sporting hot wheels after being rescued from a horrific puppy mill. little ricky bobby was found with paralyzed hind legs but this 11-buck makeshift cart helped the disabled pooch put his tragic past behind him. so cute. in sports let the times begin. a career high against notre dame in an 83-65 uconn win and huskies move on for a chance at their eighth national

championship. and five seed louisville surged in the second half to beat houston to advance. connecticut will face louisville on tuesday. the men's championship game is tonight in atlanta with louisville against michigan. and louisville has a chance to do what only one school, uconn, did back in 2004 and that is to win both the men's and women's titles in the same season. to the nba now, new york's carmelo anthony scored 26 points to take the lead as the league's high scorer. they won for their 12th straight victory. before this week's masters, former secretary of state condoleezza rice wore her green jacket at augusta national as one of the new female members. three-time masters champ phil mickelson played a practice round with rice and said "she can really putt. she's one of the better members on the green that i have seen." conde's got game. kerri walsh jennings gave birth to a daughter this weekend. last fall she revealed she was pregnant during the london olympics. congratulations to her. super bowl winning

quarterback joe flacco will portray nfl hall of famer johnny unitas in a new movie called "unitas we stand." you have to see this. 7-year-old jack hoffman is battling brain cancer but that did not stop him from scoring a touchdown during a spring football game. go. the team has unofficially adopted jack and the players wanted to give him a moment that he would remember forever and, indeed, they did. good for him. finally, in cincinnati, a dad juggling his son managed to barehandedly catch a home run ball hit his way. can yyou imagine that, he managed to hold onto the ball and his son and a great story all together. ahead, tony stark lights them up at the premiere of "iron man" and halle berry and tom arnold's baby bonanza, next. ta. but i'll tell you what impresses me. a talking train. this ge locomotive can tell you exactly where it is,

what it's carrying, while using less fuel. delivering whatever the world needs, when it needs it. ♪ after all, what's the point of talking if you don't have something important to say? ♪

can i show you a clip from practice? >> i don't know. can you? >> you seem offensive. >> what, you're attacking me. it's not like i drove a golf cart through practice. >> but she had. >> dribble, dodge, quick feet, quick feet, you don't mow, i'm going to barrel you again, yeah, move, move, you always move. >> golf cart, really? moviegoers were looking for a scare apparently this weekend. the horror remake "evil dead" killed the competition by raking in 26 million when's while "the

crood" duked it out both making $26 million. country music's biggest stars came to las vegas. miranda lambert was named female vocalist of the year. jason aldean won male vocalist. an emotional luke bryant took home the biggest award, entertainer of the year. congratulations. hollywood baby news to tell you about. halle berry and fiance olivia martinez are expecting their first child together while tomorrow arnold became a first-time father with fourth wife ashley grossman. tax day is fast approaching, and as motivation to get yours done, reminder, here, actor wesley snipes was just released from prison on friday after serving nearly three years for tax evasion. we're just saying. the "star trek" laser for $231,000. wow. someone must really love "star trek." and robert downey, jr. attended the chinese premiere of "iron

man 3" and was given a big hug and kiss by a young iron man in training. the finalists of the tv theme song are "cheers" and "gilligan's island." votes are split right down the middle. stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now. ♪ it's going to happen again. it is going to happen again. and every time, you know, it's somebody else's school. it's somebody else's town. it's somebody else's community until one day you wake up, and it's not. >> emotional words from the father of one of the victims of the newtown massacre. gun control front and center as victims of violence pleat their case for stricter gun laws. i'm bill karins. this is "way too early." thanks for being up with